As part of London-based disability arts development agency, Shape's Creative Steps programme, seven disabled creative practitioners participated in a series of fascinating film documentaries.
Made by award-winning director, screenwriter and photographer, David Hevey, the purpose of this documentary-series is to act as a calling card highlighting the talents of the disabled artists that Shape supports - and who in turn, support Shape
A key creative, producer and project director, Hevey is an innovative media professional with an impressive track record of digital films, moving-image & other media to his name. Well-known within the disability arts sector for his ground-breaking work, getting beneath the skin to present disabled peoples’ stories from an authentic perspective, one of his most known pieces of work is the 3-part series commissioned by the BBC: The Disabled Century.
Repeated on BBC 2 in 2012, the series documents the history of disabled people’s lives, from the brutal realities that confronted the vast majority of disabled people in the early years of the 20th century, through to the creation of the welfare state and finally the dismantling of institutions in modern times: an episode which seems ever more poignant now with the dismantling of the Independent Living Fund, which potentially heralds a backwards step to a rise in institutionalisation for many disabled people.
Cara Dovecott
In addition to her fiction work, Dovecott writes factual articles on subjects such as: The psychology of literary characters; Disability rights; Literary criticism; and Art reviews
Gus Cummins
Among Cummins many visual arts projects, 'Ictal' is gaining international recognition in its aim to address epilepsy, and its associated stigma, through art.
Lynn Cox
Interdisciplinary artist Cox is Director of Diving into Darkness and a recipient of the 2013 Winston Churchill Memorial Fellowship.
Sophie Partridge
Actor, writer & workshop artist, Sophie is currently in the process of developing her production of Song of Semmersuaq
Melodie Holliday
A multidisciplinary artist who makes large scale Rock and Roll Appliques, which are obsessively stitched to the music of the Artist. Melodie's songs have been played on a number of stations including John Kennedy's Xposure (XFM) and Stuart Marconi's Freakzone Show (BBC 6 Music)
DJ
Dance instructor DJ has worked extensively with Corali
Stephen Bunce
Actor, father, and Paralympian performer, Bunce featured in All Eyes On Us - a short film and photographic exhibition by Eelyn Lee Productions
Funded by the Big Lottery's Reaching Communities Fund, Creative Steps 2013 offered free professional development training to disabled people working in, or wanting to work in, the creative industries. For details on Shape’s latest support programme for young disabled people, please click on this link
The Creative Steps films, commissioned by SHAPE, were produced and creatively directed by DAVID HEVEY PRODUCTIONS. contact@davidhevey.com